Another passer-by flashes a thumbs-up--the Brazilian seal of approval.

Another offers a handshake. An older man calls his name.

Later, in a small restaurant, two children come up and ask for Jones' autograph. An adult diner does the same.

"If you walk on the street here, you're (very) likely to run into a soccer fan," explained Jones, 25. "But that's because almost everyone here is a soccer fan."

If Jones is not already the most recognized American in Rio, he is well on his way. The funny thing is, he has been here only two months. And he's not playing soccer--at least not yet, thanks to Brazil's infamous bureaucracy.

Jones, a flashy midfielder, is the only American now under contract to a Brazilian soccer team: Vasco da Gama of Rio de Janeiro.

To say it's unusual is an understatement. There hasn't been a U.S. player in the Brazilian league since 1991. You might want to compare Jones to Hideo Nomo, the Japanese pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but at least Nomo comes from a country where his sport is wildly popular.

Although Jones' good looks and dreadlocks have made him one of the best-known U.S. players, he's still relatively unknown at home. Never mind that he has his own show on MTV, did a cameo on "Beverly Hills 90210" and was Newsweek's cover boy before the 1994 World Cup.

But put him in the hottest of all soccer hotbeds--Brazil--and he's stopped on the street for autographs and handshakes and, on more than one occasion, to receive advice. It's like an NBA player getting a few pointers on dunking from Joe Six-pack.

"Sometimes it gets annoying, when people start off admiring you and then they tell you why their team is better than yours," said Jones, who played last year with Coventry of the English Premier League. "It's more fanatical than any baseball, basketball or football fan in the U.S."

And when he actually starts playing for Vasco, things might get even more hectic. Jones has been kept out of Vasco's games in the Brazilian championships, which end in December, because of a problem with his transfer papers.

"When the paperwork is done, he will play," said Vasco Vice President Eurico Miranda. "He's a good player. Any player who's in the Brazilian first division must be good."

In fact, Jones has arrived as Brazilian soccer and Rio soccer in particular are going through a renaissance of sorts.

Although the best Brazilian players traditionally leave for foreign clubs, Rio's four main teams now have some of the most exciting players in the world, including Flamengo's Romario, star of Brazil's 1994 World Cup championship team; Savio, also of Flamengo, a young superstar expected to shine in the 1998 World Cup; and Tulio, a scoring machine for Botafogo who is averaging nearly a goal a game.

"That's like being (Michael) Jordan," Jones said admiringly.

Players such as those made Brazil the only four-time World Cup champion, and will make the national team a favorite in next year's Olympics and the '98 World Cup.

"When you think of soccer you think of Brazil, and when you think of Brazil you think of soccer," Jones said. "It's every player's dream to play in Maracana," Rio's gigantic stadium that holds up to 200,000 fans.

Even so, Brazil has been frustrating at times. Besides the paperwork problems, Jones doesn't speak Portuguese. At practices he relies on a team trainer who speaks some English. His teammates know only a few words.

When he first arrived, "the taxi drivers nicked me for a few weeks. I was clueless."

And not being able to play has been frustrating. Jones' day revolves around practice and training, though he does put in a few hours at the beach.

"The loneliness goes in cycles," he said. "For a few days you really feel it, and the phone bill gets extremely high."

Yet there will be payoffs. Jones believes the Brazilian style of play--fast, with an emphasis on ballhandling, passing and strategy--suits him better than the physical style of English soccer. At 5 feet 7 inches and 145 pounds, he was much smaller than many English league players but fits right in the Brazilian league.

Beyond that, Jones' experiences in Brazil "will not only serve Cobi well, but serve the U.S. national team well," U.S. coach Steve Sampson said.

Jones already is one the fastest and best athletes on the U.S. team. To take his game to the next level, Sampson said, "he needs top-flight competition, which he will get there; significant minutes of playing time, which I hope he gets; and someone who believes in him," to give him a chance to develop.

"He's always been able to run with anybody," Sampson said. "Now he has the confidence to take on the best players in the world."